Jean-Bernard Zuber is a French

theoretical physicist Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experimen ...

Education

Zuber studied at the

École polytechnique École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

from 1966 to 1968 and then as a

CNRS The French National Centre for Scientific Research (french: link=no, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, CNRS) is the French state research organisation and is the largest fundamental science agency in Europe. In 2016, it employed 31,637 ...

researcher at th
theoretical physics department
of the

Nuclear Research Center Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: *Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nucl ...

Saclay Saclay () is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It had a population of 3,067 in 2006. It is best known for the large scientific facility CEA Saclay, mostly dealing with nuclear and pa ...

. In 1974, he received his doctorate from

Jean Zinn-Justin Jean Zinn-Justin (born 10 July 1943 in Berlin) is a French theoretical physicist. Biography Zinn-Justin was educated in physics (undergraduate 1964) at the École Polytechnique, and did graduate work in theoretical physics at Orsay, (Ph.D. 1968 ...

at the

University of Paris-Sud Paris-Sud University (French: ''Université Paris-Sud''), also known as University of Paris — XI (or as Université d'Orsay before 1971), was a French research university distributed among several campuses in the southern suburbs of Paris, in ...

Orsay Orsay () is a Communes of France, commune in the Essonne Departments of France, department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. A fortifie ...

Career

From 1975 to 2004 he was in the same capacity as an engineer of the

French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission or CEA ( French: Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives), is a French public government-funded research organisation in the areas of energy, defense and securit ...

at the Institute of Theoretical Physics, Saclay and at the same time (1995 through 1998) Professor at the

Paris Diderot University Paris Diderot University, also known as Paris 7 (french: Université Paris Diderot), was a French university located in Paris, France. It was one of the inheritors of the historic University of Paris, which was split into 13 universities in 197 ...

. From 1995 to 2000 he was the chairman of the CNRS section of theoretical physics. Since 2004 he has been a professor at the

Pierre and Marie Curie University Pierre and Marie Curie University (french: link=no, Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie, UPMC), also known as Paris 6, was a public university, public research university in Paris, France, from 1971 to 2017. The university was located on the Jussi ...

, (now Sorbonne Université), Emeritus professor since 2014, and between 2005 and 2013 he has been director of the Fédération de Recherches Interactions Fondamentales (FRIF). Zuber is author of a standard work on

quantum field theory In theoretical physics, quantum field theory (QFT) is a theoretical framework that combines classical field theory, special relativity, and quantum mechanics. QFT is used in particle physics to construct physical models of subatomic particles and ...

(QFT) with

Claude Itzykson Claude Georges Itzykson, (11 April 1938 – 22 May 1995) was a French theoretical physicist who worked in quantum field theory and statistical mechanics. Biography Separated from his parents by World War II, his father was taken to a Na ...

, with whom he often collaborated. In addition to applications of QFT in

elementary particle physics Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of fundamental particles and forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standard Model as fermions (matter particles) and b ...

, it also deals with

statistical mechanics In physics, statistical mechanics is a mathematical framework that applies statistical methods and probability theory to large assemblies of microscopic entities. It does not assume or postulate any natural laws, but explains the macroscopic be ...

, for example the

Ising model The Ising model () (or Lenz-Ising model or Ising-Lenz model), named after the physicists Ernst Ising and Wilhelm Lenz, is a mathematical model of ferromagnetism in statistical mechanics. The model consists of discrete variables that represent ...

, and in particular with

conformal field theories A conformal field theory (CFT) is a quantum field theory that is invariant under conformal transformations. In two dimensions, there is an infinite-dimensional algebra of local conformal transformations, and conformal field theories can sometimes ...

random matrices In probability theory and mathematical physics, a random matrix is a matrix-valued random variable—that is, a matrix in which some or all elements are random variables. Many important properties of physical systems can be represented mathemat ...

and matrix integrals including applications in

combinatorics Combinatorics is an area of mathematics primarily concerned with counting, both as a means and an end in obtaining results, and certain properties of finite structures. It is closely related to many other areas of mathematics and has many appl ...

and knot theory.

Awards

In 1989 he received the Prix Dostaut-Blutet of the

French Academy of Sciences The French Academy of Sciences (French: ''Académie des sciences'') is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV of France, Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French Scientific me ...

and in 1991 the Prix Paul Langevin of the

French Physical Society French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

. Since 1999 he has been a Chevalier des Palmes Academiques.

Selected publications

* with Claude Itzykson: Quantum Field Theory, McGraw Hill 1980, Dover 2005 * Editor with Itzykson, Saleur: Conformal invariance and applications to statistical mechanics, World Scientific 1988 * Editor with Raymond Stora : Recent Advances in Field Theory and Statistical Mechanics, Les Houches Summer School Volume 39, 1982, North Holland 1984 * Editor with Jean-Michel Drouffe: The mathematical beauty of physics-a memorial volume for Claude Itzykson, World Scientific 1997 * Editor with Cécile DeWitt-Morette
Quantum field theory: perspective and prospective (Les Houches 1998)
Kluwer 1999 * Zuber J.-B., Thèse d'Etat, Université Paris XI, 28 janvier 1974, "Les champs de Yang-Mills et la diffusion des mésons pseudoscalaires"

References

External links

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Living people Theoretical physicists Mathematical physicists École Polytechnique alumni 20th-century French physicists Scientists from Paris Members of the Académie Française Members of the French Academy of Sciences Quantum physicists Year of birth missing (living people) {{France-physicist-stub